Dr. Sun breaks down what sperm count means, why it matters, and how to improve your sperm count.
By urologist and male fertility expert, Dr. Andrew Sun
If you’re TTC or just planning ahead, you’ve probably wondered how you can promote healthy sperm development. Healthy sperm can be determined by examining three key parameters: count (how many), motility (how they move), and morphology (how they’re shaped).
What does sperm count mean?
The amount of sperm in semen is what we call the sperm count. Semen is the fluid that comes from the male reproductive tract during ejaculation, and it contains fructose, citric acid, and sperm (spermatozoa), among other things. Sperm cells only make up about two to five percent of the total semen volume, sometimes less.
Why does sperm count matter?
Having a high sperm count is important if you’re interested in conceiving. Pregnancy begins when a sperm fertilizes an egg — while there’s (usually) only one egg present at a time, there are many sperm competing to fertilize it (like, a lot of sperm). On average, about 200 million sperm are present in every ejaculation. A higher sperm count means a higher chance of conceiving, if the sperm cells are healthy.
